citonyms
Citonym is a proposed linguistic term used to describe words and expressions that are linked to cities through their origin in a city name or through reference to a city. The term is not widely standardized in major reference works, and its usage varies among scholars.
The coinage combines city with the suffix -nym, similar in spirit to toponym, demonym, and ethnonym, but
- topnyms or city names used to denote the locale itself, as in Paris or Tokyo when used
- demonyms and related forms that denote residents or things associated with a city, such as Parisian
- other city-derived terms that carry locational or cultural reference tied to a specific urban center.
Citonyms are linguistic forms that carry city-based reference, and their content may denote a place, its inhabitants,
- The city name Paris functions as a citonym when used to refer to the city itself.
- Parisian (a resident or something associated with Paris) is a citonym by virtue of its city-based
- New Yorker (a resident of New York) can also be described as a citonym within this broad
Some writers employ citonym in introductory discussions of city-related vocabulary to group together place names and